If you know this song then you may be joypuking your face off because today boys and girls we are going to look at the pseudo cel-shaded amazingness that is RWBY.Now for those of you who haven’t seen RWBY……why? In seriousness though, I won’t be giving you any information about the plot, which I shall leave that research up to you, as always we are here to look at weapons.So let us depart.One thing you will need to know about the weapons of Ruby, they are normally dual purpose, modular in nature and massively unrealistic in some ways, so as always I will describe the weapon and try to link it to a real world example if I can.Ruby RoseRuby Rose is an odd duck, she is one of the few characters (that I am aware off) that utilises a Scythe as her main weapon. Her Scythe (Crescent Rose {yes it is named}) is more than just a scythe, it is a High Calibre Sniper Scythe…….once again anime outdoes itself on mental weaponry.

So this weapon comes in 3 forms, a Scythe, a bolt action sniper rifle, and a travel unit, yes it is collapsible. This appears to be an automatic mechanical system where the haft extends in both directions from a central point with the scythe blade unfolding in two pieces (indicating that it is hinged and must lock in some fashion).

Now for it to be this collapsible it says to me that if it was constructed from a real life material it would probably be made of a Titanium-Aluminium Alloy of even possibly and Iron-Aluminium Alloy. Something lightweight and durable to boot.With this automatic expansion it would be logical to theorise that part of the haft is hollow and rifled to accommodate the barrel of the rifle and it is shown that the bolt is built into the haft and this weapon utilises a box magazine (which can supposedly hold 25 rounds), calibre is unknown however when looking at the shell casings it could be theorised to be a modified .300 or a .577.

.577 Tyrannosaur

So combined, with the sheer size of the weapon, and the fact it (probably) utilises a large calibre for the rifle and is most likely manufactured of an ultra-light material; the recoil is going to be humongous! This is demonstrated as Ruby occasionally utilises the recoil from the scythe discharging to propel her around the battle field. Primarily though you tend to see her utilise the Scythe in its blade form.

‘But wait Matt, scythes are farming tools, not combat weapons!’ Well yes, the tradition scythe (which Crescent Rose is based off) is a farming tool, however during multiple peasant uprisings, people would rotate the blade by 90 degrees to form a Pike or a Fauchard type weapon. After the German Peasants' War during 1524–1525, a fencing book edited by Paulus Hector Mair described in 1542 techniques how to fence using a scythe.When watching Ruby in combat her battle technique is similar to someone utilising a glaive with large arcing sweeps to keep the enemy at bay.

Weiss SchneeWeiss’s weapon is very similar to a standard rapier, however it is a MADR, a Multi Action

Dust Rapier. Yes, many new weapon classifications to learn in this blog post.To understand this weapon more you will have to watch the show but to briefly explain, dust is a substance which gives people extra abilities, for example control of a certain element like fire or ice, so Weiss can utilise these elements in her attacks. Like all the protagonists, her weapon is named and its moniker is Myrtenaster.Myrtenaster looks to be a standard size for a rapier, being around 1kg in weight with a 1m long blade and the width of the blade being 2.5cm. The hilt possess four prongs that

encase a revolver like chamber around the ricasso {the portion of the blade which is usally unsharpened and extesend forward from the quillions {cross piece} and is protected by the hilt) in a manner somewhat alike to the classic swept hilts of the French renaissance. This revolver like mechanism is essentially a chamber system for vials of dust. The mechanism for rotating the revolver appears to be actuated by the dominant sword hand, thus allowing it to be cycled seamlessly in combat.Like most traditional revolvers, the chamber has six slots, for six vials of dust. In the show the chamber is constantly stocked with Red (Fire), Cyan, Violet, White (Ice), Yellow and Blue. Occasionally when Weiss chooses to utilise her dust (which is not too common as she is rather a skilled fencer) runes of the dusts colour appear on the blade. The mechanism is actuated by a trigger located on the underside of one of the prongs.

It’s most prominent ability lies in the revolver-like mechanism held within the hilt, which contains various colours of Dust, activated by a trigger on the underside of one of the prongs. The mechanism can be opened on a hinge, allowing Weiss to replace empty vials. As a result, the weapon appears to have no tang.

Therefore if the dust utilises grain or fluid physics it would suggest that there is either a channel running along the side of the blade for the dust to travel and coat the entirety of the blade, of the blade has a hollow tube in the centre with micro chambers allowing for dispersion of the dust.

Myrtenaster is one of the few weapons which does not utilise a firearm variant.When looking at Weiss’s combat style she prefers to utilise mainly piercing attacks very common to a fencer of the Epee school such as lunges and remises (series of attacks with small arm extensions), she also utilises a sliding lunge style finisher, though occasionally she flourishes with a stop cut, found commonly with those trained with Sabre.

Blake BelladonnaI would say that Blake’s weapon is an odd one, but they all kinda are. What is odd about Blake's, is that in reality she has 4, possible 5 weapons built into one compact sheath.Blake’s weapon is called Gambol Shroud. Lovely name.

Anyway as mentioned Gambol Shroud is 4 to 5 weapons in 1. The first weapon is the sheath, even the ‘protective’ shell for the sword is bladed. The sheath is thick and grey with a sharp edge, not dissimilar to a cleaver. When Gambol Shroud is unsheathed it appears to be a dark grey katana, except rather than a double handed hilt common with katana’s Shroud appears to have a one and a half hilt.

The essence of the two weapon components is that they fit together as one, but come apart to be two, so that they are compact for easier carrying. When in sheathed form, Gambol Shroud is held by the hilt, but when the two components separate, the sheath is held by a small rectangular hole near the bottom.

The end of the katana has a sharpened double edge terminating in and end point, this is utilised more when Shroud is in its firearm form, allowing Blake to have the main edge and the barrel of the striker fired pistol facing outward, with the spike pointing inwards, meaning Blake can utilise the Human Shield method of defence. The pistol has as distinct purple smoke ring when it is discharged and I believe it to be based on the body of a Glock or Smith and Wesson M&P

Blake also carries a black ribbon tied to her right arm, and when Shroud is in its pistol form she ties this ribbon to the trigger and swings it in a fashion similar to a kusarigama. In this

form, like Ruby she can use the recoil of the firearm to increase the velocity of the blade.Blakes fighting style is hard to categorise, as far as I can tell her stance doesn't really following anything that a Samurai or Katana utiliser would use, she almost has a brawler-esque style to her movements.

Yang Xiao LongYang Xiao Long, Ruby’s sister, is a much more close in fighter utilising Ember Celica, a pair of DSRG’s (Dual Range Shot Gauntlets).These little things look like bracelets, but when activated (of which the mechanism is

unknown) they expand and cover the hands are forearms of Yang and become arm guards that are not as effective as defensive item, but more so in an offensive role.

Inside Ember Celica there appears to be a rotary magazine which, on my count, contains 12 shells for each gauntlet meaning a full count of 24 shells. The barrels of Ember Celica are concealed in the front of the gauntlet (obviously) and are aligned between the knuckles of the index and middle finger, meaning both are slightly offset towards the centre mass of a target.

When ‘fired’ (and I used this term loosely) the 'ammunition' will detonate and emit a flash of light, however these rounds will be detonated at close range, at the point of connection between Yang’s fist and the target. Therefore I theorise that there is no projectile but the detonation is just to transfer kinetic energy to the target. Or if there is a projectile it involes no solid projectile but the transferrance of chemical propellant onto a target.

Yang, like Blake and Ruby utilise the recoil of her firearms (pun massively intended) to propel herself around the battlefield.Now I can actually link Ember Celica to a real world equivalent! Much Excite!

The Sedgley OSS .38, this little piece of history is also known as the glove gun.

It was designed by Stanley M. Height during World War II, unfortunately the date of design is unknown. Mr Height took his design to the OSS, The Office of Strategic Services (also interestingly the forerunner of today’s Central Intelligence Agency). The weapon was designed for covert wet work. It was mounted on the back of a cowhide glove; the gun would be usually worn along with a long-sleeved coat to hide the weapon until it was used.

The glove is chambered for .38, and features a small smoothbore barrel. The trigger is a bar parallel to and extending past the barrel. After being loaded and cocked, the weapon is fired by the shooter making a fist and pressing the trigger against the target's body. Now this weapon is a rarity as only 52-200 were built.Interestingly as far as my research has led too, there have been very little ancillary injuries (such as burns) to the user.So ladies and gents that is Part 1, stay tuned for Part 2, and if you are still captivated after that.....Part 3.